The "love hormone"

Sleeping with a partner

It had previously been thought that women did not sleep as well with a partner in their bed. The Wall Street Journal covered the studies of Dr. Wendy M. Troxel of the University of Pittsburgh. According to her:

Women in long-term stable relationships fell asleep more quickly and woke up less during the night than single women or women who lost or gained a partner during the six to eight years of the study.

Getting addicted

Careful, though: because of the oxytocin release, some features of cuddling resemble the effects of a drug. In some ways, you could quite literally be "addicted" to the person you're in love with. The Week reports that

Researchers, publishing their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, discovered that regular jolts of oxytocin make our partners more attractive, to us and only us.

Basically, keep cuddling, keep loving!

The big message here is that love, cuddling, hugging, and being affectionate with those around you isn't just good for any old reason: science backs all of this up. Your body reacts positively to the good energy and vibes you give others, and you should never be shy to show some love to a person you care about, whether it's something as simple as a kiss on the cheek or as affectionate as a night of spooning!